Confessions of a stress-baker.

S’more or Less

S’more Brown Butter Cookies

Sorry for tactlessly stating the obvious, but you will DEFINITELY want s’more of these cookies.

I’m a big fan of contractions — not the kind that bring new humans into the world, the language kind. Not only do they save you valuable syllables, but they also keep you from coming across as incredibly pretentious (you know those people…the ones who pronounce the “h” in “when” and “white” and tell you not to use Wikipedia for research purposes…those people). What better contraction is there in the entire English language than s’more? I may argue that the double-contraction wouldn’t’ve is a favorite of mine, but s’more definitely comes in at a close second — like Richard Nixon in 1960.

If you’ve tried some of my other recipes, you can probably guess by now that, yes, this cookie dough contains brown butter, and, yes, the recipe demands a sprinkling of coarse sea salt just prior to baking. There is a reason for this trend! Brown butter and salt just make cookies taste better — especially these subtly graham cracker flavored cookies.

Probably the trickiest part of this recipe is the timing of the marshmallow placement. I know that statement may sound ridiculous — and, in the grand scheme of things, it probably is — but, if you add the marshmallows too soon, they will dissolve into the cookie, and if you add them too late, they won’t get that little brown patch (CRITICAL in a s’more cookie).

There are two types of people in this world: those who intentionally char their marshmallows when toasting them and those who just aim for a faint golden brown at the edges. Okay, maybe there’s a third class of people — those who don’t toast marshmallows — but we have no interest in associating with them anyway. Whichever class of marshmallow toaster you are, I highly recommend not trying to get too much of a toast on the marshmallows in these cookies. The longer you cook them, the greater becomes the risk of melting the marshmallows. You blackened-marshmallow lovers should save your fiery zeal for the open campfire, not these cookies. [P.S. I’m a marshmallow-conflagrator myself]

NOT DONE!!!

DONE!!!

Technically, this recipe yields a half-batch of cookies (~1.5 dozen) — mostly because if I make full batches of cookies, I go through butter WAAAAAAAAY too quickly. I like to make large cookies (bakery-style), mostly because I quickly lose interest while scooping cookie dough. Feel free to make these cookies however large or small you like, just be sure to adjust your baking times accordingly.

S’more Brown Butter Cookies

1 stick butter, unsalted

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 overflowing teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (~2 full sheets, totally pulverized)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

~1/3 cup mini marshmallows

Start by browning the butter, then let it cool in the fridge for ~10-15 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, cream together cooled brown butter and both sugars, until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, 2nd yolk, and vanilla, until thoroughly combined. In a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, and mix JUST until combined. Fold in both chips (side note: I like using the two sizes of chocolate chips for textural variety), cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and chill dough overnight. If you’re having a s’more cookie emergency and absolutely NEED your cookies the same day, you can get by chilling for just 2 hours, but this dough works best after 12-24 hours of chilling.

Remove dough from fridge 1 hour prior to scooping (otherwise, you won’t be able to scoop it). Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto a baking mat or parchment lined cookie sheet — spacing out dough blobs to allow for spreading. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and bake 6 minutes. Remove sheet from oven — at this point, cookies will be approximately 3/4 baked — and gently press 4-5 mini marshmallows into the top of each cookie. Don’t press all the way down, but push hard enough to make a shallow depression in the cookie for the marshmallow to inhabit. Return sheet to oven for 2 minutes. Marshmallows will have puffed up, but if they haven’t started to brown yet, switch your oven to broil for 30-45 seconds. REMEMBER: don’t go for too much browning or your ‘mallows will disappear. Let cookies cool on sheet for 4 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store cookies in a tightly sealed container, at room temperature, for up to 5 days. They won’t last that long.